The essays of this book are contributions to the empirical Literature in International Trade
and Public Economics. They deal with the relationship between the structure and quality of the
public sector and the process of economic integration. Two of the essays add to the empirical
determinants of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) and to the numerous applications of
the theory of government decentralization. Decentralization tends to discourage inward FDI and
domestic trade and to increase imports and exports. A third essay focuses on the effect of
governments' intangible assets - such as consumer perceptions about countries and products from
these countries - on FDI. A country's nation brand is shown to have a significant and large
positive effect on investment flows.
